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The Butcher Boy

The Butcher Boy

Comedy · Drama · 1998

Francie and Joe live the usual playful, fantasy filled childhoods of normal boys. However, with a violent, alcoholic father and a manic depressive, suicidal mother the pressure on Francie to grow up are immense. When Francie's world turns to madness, he tries to counter it with further insanity, with dire consequences.

Movie details

The Butcher Boy

“This little piggy laughed all the way home!”

1998 Comedy · Drama 1h 50m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.1 / 10

11.9K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

79 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Francie and Joe live the usual playful, fantasy filled childhoods of normal boys. However, with a violent, alcoholic father and a manic depressive, suicidal mother the pressure on Francie to grow up are immense. When Francie's world turns to madness, he tries to counter it with further insanity, with dire consequences.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Butcher Boy?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Neil Jordan

Written by

Neil Jordan · Pat McCabe

Eamonn Owens

Eamonn Owens

Francie Brady

A

Alan Boyle

Joe Purcell

Fiona Shaw

Fiona Shaw

Mrs. Nugent

Stephen Rea

Stephen Rea

Da Brady

Ian Hart

Ian Hart

Uncle Arlo

Peter Gowen

Peter Gowen

Leddy

Sean McGinley

Sean McGinley

Sergeant

Court is in session

Put The Butcher Boy on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.